Kat Burki Glossy Lip Treatment Review

Pros

Feels good upon application

Cons

Evaporates very quickly and causes irritation

by Aimee

I was SO excited to try Kat Burki Glossy Lip Treatment ($28) since at 62, I am always looking for great lip balms to keep my lips from getting dry. Upon receiving it in the mail, I excitedly tried to open it, but could not — I simply could not get the tube to open. After a while, I put it in my cabinet and shrugged with an "oh, well." The next day I thought I'd give it another try. This time I had my eyeglasses on and saw the words On and Off in raised letters the same color as the tube. I then twisted the top and I was able to open it. Cool! I think the letters should be a color different from that of the tube to make them appear more visible.

The lip balm has a roller ball to apply the balm which I think is a really great idea. I immediately applied the balm and was surprised at how thin the texture was, but liked how it felt on my lips. However, 20 minutes later I realized that it was almost gone from my lips! I don't lick my lips and I was not drinking anything so I was VERY surprised. I applied it again and found that in another 20 minutes, the balm was almost gone again. I applied it two more times with the same results and got tired of repeated applying, so I just stopped.

The next day I applied the balm to my lips with the same results. I liked how it felt, but was so disappointed at how quickly it evaporated from my lips. I reapplied it a few times since I had agreed to try out this product. Same thing the next day. At this point, my lips started to feel a bit dry each time the balm wore off. The third time, my lips felt super dry, even burning slightly. I thought, "This lip balm is not good for me" so I stopped for the day. I tried it again the next day, but this time my lips felt very dry, a bit like a peeling feeling. My lips were not actually peeling, but that is what they felt like, so I stopped using the lip balm for good.

I read the ingredients, trying to figure out why it was so drying to my lips. Included in them are castor seed oil. I know that castor seeds contain a toxin called ricin, so I looked for more information on castor seed oil to see if that was causing the odd reaction. I did find out that ricin does not make it into the oil, but I also found information about castor on another website that says "allergic reactions and contact dermatitis have been reported" and "anaphylaxis has resulted from the use of intravenous (IV) preparations in which the vehicle is a castor oil derivative." I am very curious as to why the castor seed oil is used in this lip balm and why it is the first ingredient.

I don't think that what I have been experiencing with the lip balm is an allergic response, and my reaction might not even be due to the castor seed oil. Another ingredient that could possibly cause this is cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon essential oil) which is used to plump the lips and can sometimes cause a bit of stinging. While this could be the cause, the drying feeling would still not be accounted for. The "natural fragrance" could be the problem, but as it does not say exactly what the fragrance is, I will never know.

After I used the lip balm, I read other users' opinions which were all positive. However, maybe this reaction is more common than it appears and has just not been reported on by others. Other than this issue, I would have liked the lip balm a lot more if it had been thicker in consistency and therefore had lasted longer on my lips. All in all, this lip balm did feel good on my lips until it made them dry.